Mimicking caloric restriction: what about macronutrient manipulation? A response to Meynet and Ricci.

As ongoing research continues to reveal the links between metabolism, cancer, and aging it is good to see non-toxic interventions such as caloric restriction (CR) coming into focus. Recently, Meynet and Ricci provided a timely review summarizing the current state of research on the possible role of CR in cancer treatment. In discussing ways to implement clinically the beneficial effects of CR without a need for overall reduced food intake these authors focused on CR-mimicking drugs that have several limitations. I propose carbohydrate restriction as probably the best way to mimic CR in humans without the need to restrict energy intake.